This invention relates generally to closures and more specifically to closures of the type adapted to be used with a container for dispensing pills, capsules and the like.
It is well known in the art to provide bottle closures for dispensing pills one-at-a-time. One such closure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,712, issued to Sacchetti et al on Mar. 22, 1966.
The Sacchetti et al closure includes a cap with a dispensing aperture adapted to be threadedly connected to a container. A spacer is positioned adjacent the underside of the cap and includes a notch in axial alignment with the dispensing aperture of the cap. The notch and dispensing aperture cooperate to provide a pill-receiving chamber, and a pill is retained in this chamber between inner and outer rotor elements that are keyed together to rotate as a single unit. The outer rotor element includes a dispenser aperture that is in a non-aligned relationship with a notch provided in the inner rotor element to permit the alternate alignment of the outer rotor element dispenser aperture and the inner rotor element notch with the pill-receiving chamber located between said rotor elements. This arrangement permits a pill to first be positioned in the pill-receiving chamber by passing through the notch of the inner rotor element when the notch is aligned with the chamber. When the notch of the inner rotor element is aligned with the pill-receiving chamber the dispenser aperture of the outer rotor element is out of alignment with said chamber to thereby prevent dispensing of the pill. However, once the pill is in the chamber the rotor elements can be rotated to bring the aperture of the outer rotor element into alignment with the chamber to dispense the pill retained in the chamber. At the same time the inner rotor element will have closed off the chamber to preclude multiple-dispensing.
While the Sacchetti et al device is capable of controlling pill dispensing it is not designed to be tamper resistant, tamper evident or child proof.